Malkin Leads Russians to Sunday Victory at 2010 World Championship

Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin led the way for Team Russia in a 6-1 victory over Denmark on Sunday at the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Cologne, Germany.

Malkin picked up a goal and two assists, had five shots on goal and finished a plus-2 as he made his tournament debut along with fellow Penguins blueliner Sergei Gonchar. Both players joined the Russian squad, which is looking to capture its third consecutive World Championship, following the Penguins’ playoff season.

Gonchar was held scoreless and posted a plus-1 rating in 16:17 minutes of ice time against Denmark.

Malkin skated on a line with the Detroit Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk. The unit combined for 10 points on Sunday.

They were joined defensively by Gonchar and Dmitri Kalinin, who spent the year skating in the Kontinental Hockey League. Russia uses five-man units during international play.

Team Russia has now won 23 consecutive games at the World Championship dating back to a loss to Finland in 2007. The Russians conclude the qualification round on Tuesday when they face the Finns at 2:15 p.m.